My Prisoner
by operaghost11235
Summary: When a spy thought to work for the Senju is captured by the Uchiha clan, she has to realize that the only thing captured is her heart, stolen by the feared clan leader Uchiha Madara. Madara/OC and AUish-ness?
1. Pursuit

**CHAPTER 1: Pursuit**

**I never really wanted to write this, but YOLO, am I right? **

**In all reality, I think the only reason why actually wrote this is because, seriously, Madara needs a love-life. Am I the only one who sees he needs it? He does! Because honestly, if Madara actually had a girlfriend or anything stupid like that, he might have actually done a couple of good things in his life. He wouldn't leave Konoha, capture the Kyuubi, and the war between him and Hashirama would have become really short. Problem is: he's cold. And it's hard to pair up a girl and a douche with black porcupine hair.**

**Oh, and to the new readers, I don't use "kun", "chan", "sama", "san" or any affixes in my stories. I do, however, use the –daime Kage names (which I bet won't really be that efficient for this story) and village names in Japanese (again, **_**really **_**not that efficient). I don't mix my English with Japanese, like using "Arigatou" or "Hai" in my stories. Even if I don't use the affixes, I state formal Japanese names the way they usually are: surname first before first name. **

**This is the time period where Hashirama and Madara were at war and Madara was recently clan leader, so he's probably around 18-20 years old (wow, he's so old). To spoil it, they don't meet here; you only get to see her basic justu and appearance. They meet in the next chapter, but good ol' Izuna (the little bro) makes his debut. And so does his brother…..well, ish. Anything I need to clarify will be done in the ANs. Next update will be early January.**

**Oh, and HAPPY NEW YEAR. HOPE YOU HAVE A GOOD 2014. :D**

**Disclaimer: I own the OC, nothing else. I don't own anything else. **

**CHAPTER 1: Pursuit**

She sat under a large tree somewhere in the large forest. She didn't even know why she wasn't running, even when she knew that her pursuers weren't far behind her. She was too preoccupied with trying to find her Water Scroll because she was warned many times that her chasers, members of this infamous Uchiha clan, were exceptional in Fire Style. She remembered what her master had said: infiltrate their lair, their compound, their hideout, and retrieve information. She should even kill herself if need be. Shouldn't be _too _hard. She reached for her back and found her Water Scroll in her belt then toyed with it in her finger-less gloved hands. Her outfit consisted of a grey elbow-length shirt, a darker shade of pants and shinobi sandals. Her long hair was wild and untied. Her blades inserted in scabbards strapped to her back. Her face was concealed in a mask. She leaned against the tree trunk, trying to think of an escape plan.

Okay, back-up plan, back-up plan…..wait, what's the back-up plan?

"Where is she? Find her!"

A deep voice interrupted her thoughts. She looked back, to where it seemed to be coming from, and she caught glimpses of movement. They were there. The Uchiha clansmen were there, looking for her in the bushes and trees. They were very close to her hiding place. It wouldn't be long before they found her. She had two options: hide their and be found and captured, or run and be found, captured, and possibly dead in the process.

"There she is!"

Okay, run and flee it is.

She wasted no time to get on her feet and blot out from her hiding place. She was noisy, of course, so she attracted more attention to her, making the Uchiha dash after her. She ran as fast as she could and jumped on the boughs and branches of trees, the wind pushing her back. She didn't know where she was going, but as long as it took her away from the clansmen, she would go there. She heard them getting closer to her. She had to boost ahead, or she'd be done for. She searched her pockets and found three kunai with paper bombs and she made no hesitation to throw them to her pursuers. As expected, they exploded upon sight, sending up a few embers, splinters of burnt bark, and smoke up into the air. The Uchiha were too smart to see that coming, so none of them probably died. Now she had to use the Wind Style to blast herself forward while the clansmen were blinded by the smoke. She formed fast hand signs with her fingers then took a deep breath and faced the smoke.

"Wind Style: Gale Blast!"

A strong wind was exhaled from her mouth to blow her forward, but it was eradicated by fire blown from a man hidden in the smoke.

"Fire Style: Great Demolisher Flame!"

Her wind was able to clear the smog, but her boost force was destroyed by flames coming from the mouth of an Uchiha. She was even about to be killed by a ravishing inferno but, luckily, a somersault saved her life. Since the smoke had vanished because of her gust, she was able to identify the man who blew the hellfire. He seemed to be the leader of the search party, even if he had spiky black ponytailed hair and cloaks similar to his kinsmen. He seemed to have this regal air around him, and he also stood in front while his men stood behind him. Even if his eyes were red, some Dojustu Kekkei Genkai the Uchiha possessed called the Sharingan, they were different in pattern, not the normal one she knew.

She was too distracted by his eyes that she didn't notice that he was making hand signs until he put his fingers around his rounded mouth. 'Oh no', she thought, 'Fire Style'. She couldn't attempt to waste her chakra by blowing another gust, so she quickly opened her Water Scroll as the leader blew fire.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Justu!"

She was lucky enough that the water flew out of the paper just in time to douse the many fireballs that were blown at her. Steam erupted in the place between the two, and water continued to pour out of the scroll even if the fireballs were gone, making the Uchiha scatter. When the water ran out and the scroll was just a dysfunctional parchment, the clansmen were gone. She was relieved and discarded the useless piece of paper. She was still facing her trailing to be sure they vanished, but she heard a swooshing sound behind her, and when she turned around, it was too late.

Her face came into contact with a sword, and her mask shattered into pieces. She felt blood trickle down her forehead, and her arm was fatally cut. She tumbled down unto the forest floor, landed with a deafening thud, while the leader landed perfectly in front of her and behind him, his clansmen. Since her mask was gone and he was close to her, she could clearly see the head of the search party and describe him accurately.

He had spiky black hair that was tied into a ponytail which framed his face and made a shaggy forelock in front of his eyes. His attire consisted of a long-sleeved purple Uchiha cloak that stretched until his mid thigh with a light purple sash acting as a belt, long black pants, and shinobi sandals with purple gloves cloaking his slender hands. He drew a katana sword with his right hand and pointed it to her neck. With his free hand, he swept his hair away from his face, revealing his different Sharingan. She was extremely terrified, either because of the leader pointing a cold piece of deadly metal to her or the clansmen behind him, ready to strike on his command. Maybe it was both giving her the chills. But despite the fearsome appearance of the leader, he tilted his head and smiled.

"Well," he remarked kindly, still pointing the sword. "You're a skilled kunoichi. And you're kinda pretty too."

She tried to sit up, but the sharp pain in her arm wouldn't let her. She was confused and scared at the same time. Why the hell was he complimenting her? Well, she just had to play it safe and choose her words carefully. "I'm sorry, Uchiha, but flattery will not gain you anything," she said with a voice as smooth as silk, only if it wasn't hoarse with pain.

"My apologies," the Uchiha leader said again. "I did not mean to gain a bad first impression. I was merely being nice. So I'll just say this quick: my name is Izuna. Uchiha Izuna. And you're under arrest."

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The next thing she knew, she was chained in arm and foot, her weapons stolen and her scrolls gone. The man named Izuna marched in front of her, so she could see the Uchiha clan symbol, a red and white fan, imprinted on the back of his cloak. The clansmen were far behind them. She kept her head bowed and let her long blond hair cover the blood on her face and the shameful look that crossed her expression.

"Hey," Izuna perked up in front of her. "I meant to ask you, what's your name?"

She stayed silent.

Izuna looked behind him to face the girl. "Come on, I can't just call you 'kunoichi' all the time."

"Okay," she said finally, after a long pause. "Address me as Akari."

"Akari…." Izuna said, "pretty name."

Akari couldn't help but smile. She knew he was an enemy, but she didn't really know if this young man, Izuna, was trying to trick her with false benevolence or just really being nice. She just decided to keep it in mind. "Izuna, right?" she said, looking to him. "By the looks of it, you seem like the clan leader."

"Oh, no," Izuna said, waving his hand and looking ahead. "I'm just a division leader. You're talking about my brother."

"Your brother?" Akari asked. "And who might that be?"

Izuna smiled. "Why, Uchiha Madara, of course!"

"Madara…." Akari muttered softly.

Uchiha Madara; whoever hasn't heard that name probably hasn't lived yet. He was ruthless, cruel, and the devil incarnated into a man. He was considered to be the most powerful shinobi who ever lived, next to Senju Hashirama, of course. His reputation of despicable and cruel deeds earned him infamy not only though war and through whispers of his enemies, but even in his own clan as well. He was merciless beyond words, and it was even rumored that any prisoner who would leave his presence alive was luckier than a man who won the greatest lottery in history.

"Yeah, my brother, Madara," Izuna smiled, seemingly proud of being his brother. "He's the best shinobi who ever lived. Hmph, bet you heard his name before, haven't you?"

"Who hasn't?" Akari replied.

Izuna laughed. "Ah, yeah…I want to become just like him when I become clan leader. He's got himself one hell of a reputation."

Akari giggled. She couldn't really imagine Izuna as clan leader, not as harsh and cold as Madara was. She had to remember that she was in the presence of an enemy, and she tried to stop herself as fast as she could. However, Izuna looked back at her curiously with a smirk on his face.

"You have a cute laugh, you know that?" he commented.

Akari felt herself blush, but she shook it off and gave a sweet grin. "Thank you,"

Izuna continued to look at her as he trampled over a fallen log. "How can you be so happy? Even when you're in the clutches of your enemy and talking to the brother of the clan leader?"

Akari knew that it was all part of her mission to be captured and jailed into the compound, but she knew she had to lie. She had to act natural. "I don't know….." she said, shrugging and following him. "Guess I'm just optimistic."

Izuna left through the forest and saw a large Japanese-styled building that looked like citadel right in the middle of the forest. It had stone walls around it, and guards patrolled perched on the top. The gates, positioned in the center, were made of wood and closed with the Uchiha clan symbol painted on it. Izuna walked towards the gates with Akari following behind him; he instructed his clansmen to depart and look for more spies, and they followed his instructions and departed from the duo. Akari knew that she was entering enemy territory, so she had to act as subtle as possible. 'Act natural,' she kept repeating in her mind. 'Act normal and act ordinary.'

"Hey, Lord Izuna!" one of the guards said from his wall post. "Beautiful woman you have there. Who is she, another one for interrogation?"

"Yes, although that is for my brother to decide," Izuna replied. "Open the gates."

The gates opened immediately after he said so, and he walked in and made his way through the compound. They passed by several clansmen as they went up its many floors, and they whispered things Akari couldn't quite catch, but she was able to hear words like "death", "mercy", "spy", and "Madara". Just hearing those words made her blood curdle. Izuna walked all the way to what seemed to be the top floor, which was a long hallway lined with rooms of unknown content. At the end of the hall was a large wooden sliding door with the clan insignia on it. Izuna and Akari stood at the door, the young man standing before it tense and the woman kneeling cuffed and head down beside him. Izuna sighed before he knocked thrice on the door with the knuckle of his index finger.

"Who is it?" a dark voice replied. It sounded ominous and cold. It was also quite admirable and attractive to some extent, but other than that, it made Akari shiver. "I'm busy, leave me be."

"It's me," Izuna replied through the door. "Let me in."

"Come in alone," the voice replied. Izuna opened the door just enough for him to enter then he closed the door behind him, leaving Akari outside. Without Izuna's knowledge, she was close enough to hear their conversation through the door.

"Did you bring her?" the voice asked.

"Yes, I did," Izuna replied. "She's right outside."

'What….?' Akari thought. 'Why are they talking about me…?'

"Her name?" the voice asked again.

"Akari, so it seems," Izuna stated. "She only gave me that name to call her by, nothing more."

"Akari…." the voice purred, trying to get the feel of it rolling through his tongue. It made Akari tremble just listening to the voice say her name. "She doesn't seem like a Senju."

"She might not be," Izuna said. "She might be just an ordinary spy."

The man, the owner of the voice, snorted in ignorance. "'Just an ordinary spy', you say. That might even be her goal, to drive us off the truth! She might just be a spy for the Senju! Don't you see? It's a trap!"

Izuna sighed. "You worry too much. Learn to loosen up."

The man seemed to stiffen up. "You cannot 'loosen up' in the midst of war, Izuna! You cannot let your guard down! You are a naive fool!" Akari heard the sound of a clenched fist meeting wood and it partially cracking. After that, she heard a sigh. "Not after what happened…..to Father…."

"I know…"

There was a long silence. Akari could hear the sound of her palpitating heart and her heavy breathing. Who was this guy? Why did Izuna sound like he was giving him so much respect and adoration? They pertained to the same "Father", so they seemed to be brothers. Wait a minute. Complete and honest pride and idolization? Brothers? Respect higher and as kin? No….that doesn't mean that he was….but was he really?

"What now?" The voice of Izuna broke silence.

The man sighed. "Leave me. Fetch the girl and bring her in."

"Yes," Izuna replied.

There was the sound of footsteps and the door opened then closed again. Izuna sighed once he was outside, leaned against the door and looked at Akari. The poor young girl looked like a nervous wreck. She was sweating like mad and her heart was hammering out of her chest. Even if the wounds on her arm and forehead were bleeding, she didn't care. Her blond hair was disheveled and tangled, and her eyes were like those of a mouse cornered by a cat.

"I'm going to die…." Akari said with a trembling voice. "I am going…..to die….."

Izuna looked at her with a confused face. "You _do _know who that is, don't you?"

"I have a hunch…." Akari shivered. "But other than that, no…"

Izuna smirked and put a hand on Akari's shoulder. Her eyes looked into his, and they were jet-black, not red Sharingan. "Well, whether you know who he is or don't know who he is, he wants to see you. Good luck, Akari, and try not to get him mad. You'll just end up killing yourself."

Okay, as much as it sounded like friendly advice, it sounded macabre and suicidal.

Izuna helped Akari stand up, and the Uchiha opened the door and gently pushed her in. Before she could move, she heard the door close behind her with a shuddering thud. She felt her legs grow weak in fear and she had no choice but to kneel helplessly. She was in the presence of the feared clan leader, and there was no turning back now.


	2. The Clan Leader

**CHAPTER 2: The Clan Leader**

**HAPPY NEW YEAR, ALL OF YOU. HAVE A GOOD ONE.**

**Since that's over, I'd like to say thanks a bunch to the people who followed and favorite(ed) this story. It's real nice for the peeps who did, thanks. Regards to you, and thanks for it. (How many times did I thank you people?)**

**I had to reread and reread Madara's personality information to not make him OOC eventually, y'know, make him the mean and abusive asshole that he is. But after I read a review from Skye Ai, I have to emphasize your point there. Sure, Madara's a cold and cruel douche, but, yeah honestly, he is still human (well, ish) and he has feelings. I'll put this into scenario here. Obito nowadays in considered to be the most badass shinobi ever. And guess how he got there? Because he was so heartbroken that Rin died and he left. If he was as cold as Madara, he wouldn't give a damn about her death and just beat the living daylights out of Kakashi. Let's be honest there. We have to know that deep deep deep deep DEEEEEEEEEP inside him, he has a soft side that he never really wanted to expose. Or maybe he's just really good at hiding it underneath that mean exterior. **

**Pretty short, but I don't know when the next update will be…probably next week I guess? Hope you enjoy this one, because they meet here. And even if I said that Madara has a secret soft side, don't expect him to be all sugar and rainbows once he sees her. **

**And to the year of the horse fellas, a tip of the hat to me from you. :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything besides the OC.**

**CHAPTER 2: The Clan Leader**

The room Akari was in was a Japanese-styled room with walls made of wood and sturdy white paper, and purple futon pillows beside a small wooden table sat on one corner of the room. In its center was chair and the wooden desk in front of it was littered with files and paper and ink. Behind the desk was a sliding door that leads to a wooden balcony bathed in noonday sun. Akari was kneeling with her head bowed as she scanned the room, and she noticed a man sitting nonchalantly at the desk. Because of her limited vision, she couldn't make out his appearance and with heavy breathing, she kept her head bowed. She could feel the man smirk and stand up then lean in front of his desk. He was just right in front of her with his arms crossed and a relaxed expression on his face.

"You seem afraid," the man said. It was the voice that Izuna was talking to, no doubt of it. "I don't bite." Here he gave a small chuckle. "There's nothing to be afraid of. Look at me."

Akari kept her head bowed.

The man sighed. His temper was obviously rising, little by little. He leaned forward and Akari felt that he was so close to her. "I won't hurt you. So you can relax. All you have to do is look at me."

Akari knew that she had to, even with all her willpower and hesitation preventing her. She wouldn't go anywhere...well, no, she would just be digging he own grave. And she knew she would regret it, but she slowly looked up.

Her eyes were locked with a man about her age, one in his early twenties. He looked very similar to Izuna, only a tad bit older looking and different attire which consisted of a dark purple long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves looser near the ends, black pants and shinobi sandals that looked like boots. Even his hair differed from Izuna's, and it was the most noticeable thing about him. It was black, spiky, and stretched all the way down to his waist. It was mangy and stuck up at many angles, even going as to cover his right eye. His visible left eye was the color of night black, no Sharingan.

Akari suddenly felt very nervous and unsure. Her heart plummeted. She started doubting everything her masters said she had to do, and she was at war with herself. She didn't even know if she was nervous because she was going to die, or because she was standing in front of the most handsome man she had ever met in her life. She felt her cheeks heat up and she clenched her fists in vain effort to hide it. 'Stop it, stop it, stop it!' she told herself. 'He's an enemy! What the hell are you thinking?' She had to keep in mind that he was the _leader_ of her enemies. But, then again, he was pretty good-looking...

"There, see?" the man said with a smirk. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Akari's heart was beating fast, but she said nothing.

The man's smirk faded and he stood up straight. "Since you won't talk, I'll start. My name is Madara. Uchiha Madara."

Akari's eyes widened. 'So I was right…' she thought. 'Izuna was talking to his brother.' "O-oh…" she stuttered. "I think you know my name, already."

"Hmmnnn, yes," Madara pondered, folding his left arm across his chest and putting his curled right index finger to his lips. "Akari, was it? You don't look nor sound like a Senju…so I guess you'll live…"

Akari's eyes widened and a small sigh of relief escaped from her.

"But," Madara said all of a sudden, making Akari nervous again. "That doesn't mean I'll spare you from mercy…" Madara smirked again.

Akari was trembling, either because he smirked or because it seemed like he was going to kill her, and she honestly didn't know what was worse. "W-what do y-you mean?"

"You were seen wandering the land alone," Madara explained, turning his back on her and walking beside his desk. "And even Izuna explained to me that he had difficulty capturing you. It isn't like Izuna to admit defeat…you are quite the kunoichi…" Here he turned his head and looked at her then he gave another dark smirk. "And you're actually attractive, mind you."

Akari felt her cheeks burn. Was Madara actually complimenting her? It was completely not like him! It was probably some stupid trap. She better not fall for it then.

"And, since you're a spy," Madara continued, sitting at his desk. "You hold information I need."

Akari hesitated before saying, "You _do _know that I won't succumb to your will that easily? You have no guarantee of making me talk."

Madara seemed to tense up a bit and he looked up from his papers to meet Akari's eyes. They incased such a dark light, the light of no mercy, the light of a harsh and strict leader. Hell lived in them. But there was something about them…something that made Akari's heart burst whenever she looked into them.

"I can make you talk if I want to make you talk," Madara said, so relaxed. "And I can kill you if I want to kill you. I get what I want, and what I want now is for you to spill out information."

Akari tried to be calm and cool, but on the inside, she was completely nervous. "Well, what _will_ you do to me, exactly?"

"Keep you confined here, of course," Madara said as he leaned forward. "Interrogate you for information, discover your justu and such, the list goes on and on, actually." Here Madara paused and narrowed his eyes. "I can even torture you should it be necessary."

Akari was informed many times how cruel the Uchiha were at torturing their prisoners, but she kept a straight face. She knew she couldn't show fear. Madara rested his head nonchalantly on his gloved hand, and he was amazed at her lack of expression.

"You show good self-discipline," Madara commented. "Aren't you afraid?"

"No," Akari replied, defiant as ever. She pulled the sleeve of her left arm up to reveal numerous scars on her arm that looked as bloody and gruesome and macabre as Uchiha torture. Madara looked at them blankly before Akari covered them and spoke again. "I was trained to withstand even the most gruesome of torture, particularly that of your clan."

"Your masters truly prepare well," Madara stated. "You look like the kind of spy to defy pain…then we'll use you as hostage, how's that?"

Akari stayed silent.

"Very well," Madara said. "Leave me and get out of my office. Guards outside will escort you to your prison cell."

Akari looked defiantly at Madara before leaving. He was beautiful in every way though her eyes, but he was cruel and cold. No matter how gorgeous he was, he wasn't really one to mess with.

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Akari was pushed into a dark cell lit by only a lantern on a table in one corner. A low wooden bed frame with a thin mattress was put beside the table, and there was a small restroom separated by a wooden wall to one entire side of the cell. It seemed inhabitable…well, sort of.

Akari regained her balance and heard the sound of a key leaving a lock behind her. She spun around to see an Uchiha lock the bars and spin the keys around his finger as he whistled nonchalantly and walked away. The spy sat on the futon bed and tried to comb her long hair with her fingers, and then walked to the bathroom mirror to see her reflection.

A beautiful woman looked back at her in the looking-glass. She had fair skin and light green eyes which complemented a gorgeous visage. Her blond hair always made her feel uncomfortable around those dark-haired Uchihas, but she always loved the way it rolled down until her elbow and the way it framed her face. She liked how she looked, even if she didn't consider herself that pretty.

"Akari? You here?"

Akari spun around to see Izuna at the bars, gripping one tightly. The girl smiled and walked towards the Uchiha. She suddenly noticed that Izuna looked so much like his brother, and the only thing setting them apart was the hair. And Izuna wouldn't just walk up to her like that after she just met the most terrifying person on earth unless she was a friend or something. Wait, did that mean that Izuna considered her a…friend?

"So, how was he?" Izuna asked. "Was he okay?"

"'Was he okay?' That's what you're asking?" Akari joked. "He was…terrible!"

Izuna started laughing, which startled Akari. He was the complete _opposite_ of his brother. "Ahh, that's what they all say."

"It's true!" Akari protested.

"For you," Izuna said with a playful smirk. "He can be pretty kind when he wants to be. You know, he plays that card every time." He coughed and tried to put on a deep croaky voice in attempt to mimic Madara. "'I do what I want when I want to do it.'"

Akari couldn't help but laugh at his impression. "Oh my god…But seriously? Madara? Being kind? He's the complete _opposite_ of kind."

Izuna smirked. "That's because you're not his little brother."

Akari gave a dry smile and lightly punched the Uchiha in the arm. "You sneaky little bastard. You're lucky you're not being oppressed by him."

"Okay, I have to admit, I'm sorry," Izuna replied. "Well, best be going. See you later, Akari." He was about to walk away when Akari stopped him.

"What am I, some kind of friend to you now?"

Izuna looked at her. "Come on, I get pretty lonely. And think of it as something darker…like friend-enemies or something like that."

Akari smiled. "No!"

Izuna chuckled and walked away from Akari's cell, giving her a deadpanned face. She went back to the bed and lay on it, trying to remember what she did and what happened that day. No matter how much she tried to forget it, she couldn't seem to get Madara out of her head. That man, he was a monster. No, he was _worse _than a monster. He was more than a devil. But there was something about him that made Akari think of him every single second in that cell.

What was it?


	3. A Spy

**CHAPTER 3: A Spy**

**Hello! **

**Thanks for viewing this story, fellow reader. Yeah, I know, I write lame, but thanks for paying attention to this anyway! I'm sorry for the late (I think) update, well, because I'm writing two stories at once. Thanks for the favorites and the follows and the reviews (ish) and I also want to say a few things about this story. **

**First, how was Madara? Told you he would be mean. And Izuna didn't get much emphasis about his personality, so I made him a little opposing on Madara's, so Izuna is happy and carefree. Second, I'll put a debut here too. Ha, guess who. Third, if you want to know, I found out an ending to this story. And I just realized that this gets less and less of an AU as it goes on. Everything will link up towards the end chapter. And if you're waiting for some interaction between the two, you're gonna have to wait a bit. But believe me, the wait will be worth it. **

**Since I'm going to have to make up for Madara being "sweet" and "charming" and utterly "irresistible" later on, I'll have to make him just a little cold. Okay, scratch that. A LOT OF COLD. Cold cold cold cold. Cold like...uh...well...ice. Ice is cold. My metaphors are really off. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters, but I do own Akari. That's it, though. **

**CHAPTER 3: A Spy**

"She _what?!_"

Senju Tobirama was talking to his brother, the Senju clan leader, inside of his office. They were conversing about the spy they sent out days ago, and he could not believe what he was hearing. It was just absurd and impossible. She couldn't have.

"You heard me, Tobirama," his brother replied. "It's truth."

Tobirama pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "I _told _you this was a bad idea. But _noooo_, we just _had _to send out our most elite spy to prance about to her merciless death."

"Relax," his brother said. "You don't understand the full concept of the plan yet."

Tobirama sighed. "Sometimes, I really don't get where you're going in plans like this. It's just…absurd!"

"Paitence, Tobirama. I'll tell you…in time."

Tobirama bit his lower lip and shook his head. "I put all of my trust in you with this. If we fail, you know that we'll lose more than a spy. And if she dies…" Tobirama kept his eyes downcast, and he didn't complete his sentence.

"That is _if _she dies," his brother stated. "It is her choice whether to die or not. Knowing her, she won't give up, no, not that easily. She knows what she's doing. Let's not underestimate her."

Tobirama sighed, crossed his arms and looked his brother in the eye. "You better be right, Hashirama."

Hashirama smiled. "There we go, that's the spirit."

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An Uchiha ran up to Madara's office, and then knocked on the door. The clan leader looked up from his documents at his desk to the man entering his room. The clansman's gloves were stained in a fresh coat of blood as he took them off quickly. That wasn't much of a pretty sight.

"What is it?" Madara asked.

"Sir, it's the Kazehaya girl," the clansman said. "She still refuses to talk."

"Again…" Madara muttered exasperated under his breath. "Did you try the new equipment?" he asked aloud.

The man nodded. "We tried _everything_, sir, but nothing worked."

"She didn't say anything?"

The clansman shook his head. "Not even a word, sir."

Madara sighed. That girl was troublesome. She really meant what she said: she can face torture without uttering a word. That was so annoying.

The clan leader stood up, and, accompanied by the clansman, walked down to the cell where Akari was being tortured. There were around four or five of the torturers standing in a circle around something that Madara couldn't see. He narrowed his eyes. The Kazehaya girl was going to talk, whether she wanted to or not. She was going to die either way anyway.

"Leave us," Madara commanded the torturers, who looked back at him once they heard his voice. "Leave me with the prisoner. You've done enough."

All the Uchiha torturers (and the clansman) bowed to him before leaving the cell. Madara stood at its door, looking at Akari with scorn. The poor girl lay sprawled out on the blood-stained ground. Her legs and arms were full of wounds, sores, cuts and scratches, while her blond hair was shaggy and tangled, probably pulled. Her face was full of wounds and gashes and red fingerprints, and her green eyes were barely closed. She peaked behind her messy forelock and winced once she saw Madara.

"They said you wouldn't talk," Madara said coldly. "Well, they ended up being right. You were telling the truth, for the fact that you can face torture easily." Here he crossed his arms. "Who would have thought?"

Akari struggled to speak. She tried to say something, but coughs, whimpers, and wheezes in pain prevented her.

Madara's eyes narrowed. "Seems like now you _really _can't talk." He smirked and softly chuckled before his expression melted back into apathy.

Akari's voice was soft and hoarse, but she was speaking. "I…I told you before. I was trained to withstand torture!" Here she coughed. "It…it's useless! I'm _not talking_!"

Madara stayed silent, his eyes full of disdain. After a long pause, he said, "I can see that you don't fully understand what I'm planning to do. Don't you know who I am?"

Akari tried to support her heavy weight on her weak arms as she tried to look defiantly at Madara. "Of course I know who you are. You're Uchiha Madara."

"And?" he continued. "Do you know what I want?"

Akari made an effort to look up at Madara's visage. "No…I bet you want me dead, though."

"No," Madara replied sternly. "I want your 'masters'," here he used finger quotations, "whoever they are, _dead._ Dead and desperately pleading for mercy at my feet."

Akari bowed her head. He was so…macabre. He was so cruel. But he didn't know the true power of her masters. He thought of himself as too proud and powerful. He put himself above all others, even to the ones who are stronger than him. The idea made Akari's blood boil. She lost control and screamed, "You're underestimating my masters! Who do you think you are?!" She immediately gasped and covered her mouth. Why the hell would she say that?

Madara narrowed his eyes at Akari. He crouched on one knee so he could look at her eye to eye, and then he grabbed her throat with his gloved hand. She whimpered and panted and desperately gasped for air, shutting her eyes and vainly clawing her fingers at Madara's. The Uchiha's dark eyes showed no mercy.

"You've underestimated _me_, Kazehaya," he growled under a chilly voice. "You have no idea what I can do. I can slaughter all that you love if I wanted to. In my eyes, you're nothing but an ignorant brat, just like every other wimpy nuisance who dares challenge the Uchiha!"

Akari desperately tried to gasp for air, but she could speak softly and croakily. "Why…why don't you kill me now then?!"

Madara's grip tightened, making Akari wince. "Because even if you're stubborn enough to shut up in front of me, I can use you as hostage against your 'masters'. Surely they will respond to your death. I _will _kill you…just…not now."

Madara let go of her neck and let the poor girl drop unto the cold stone floor. She didn't care about her torture pains anymore. All she was grateful for was that she could breathe and she was alive. She took gasps for breaths and massaged her sore neck. Madara watched, looking at her without care in his eyes or empathy in his heart. Still crouching in front of her, he grabbed her jaw and turned it to make it look at his face, which lay inches away from hers.

Akari didn't know why, but he was just…beautiful. He had a fine chiseled jaw, fair skin darker than Izuna's, and black eyes. The right half of his face was covered with his shaggy black hair, and Akari couldn't decide if it was eerie or just charming. He smirked and closed his eyes, and in a split second opened them. They were now red with a circular tomoe pattern around the pupils.

Akari knew it was Sharingan. But as she stared into them further, she felt them swirl around her being, around her body, and started to feel her body grow numb. She felt some different kind of chakra pierce through her, and it was as if someone else was controlling her body. Her senses went dark, and so did her vision.

'Oh no…' she thought. 'Gen…justu…'

But then, before she lost full consciousness, she felt her systems return to her. The numbness in her body disappeared, and her vision came back to her. It was as if she had woken up from a deep sleep. Her sight was blurry at first, but when she came to her senses, the first thing she saw was Madara, who was still holding her face to his, but his brow furrowed and a scowl was on his lips. His eyes were black, not Sharingan. He let go of her jaw and stood up.

"Forget it," he said as he crossed his arms. "You're not worth wasting chakra on anyway."

Akari sat on the floor and looked up weakly at Madara. The Uchiha however, gazed back at her with no mercy in his eyes.

"Don't be too happy that I spared you," Madara said, his back facing her. "Your days will be numbered here, girl." Before he walked out of the cell, he heard the young kunoichi speak feebly.

"Akari…my name is Akari…"

Madara looked back at the pleading girl, not amused nor moved. He scoffed and left the girl to rot in the cold walls of her cell.

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Madara was about to put his hands on his office door when he heard thuds of running footsteps move towards him and repetitive calls from a familiar young voice.

"Brother! Brother!"

Madara spun around to see running to him. The younger Uchiha stopped once he came face to face with his brother, and he had a concerned look.

"What is it?" Madara asked.

"I heard you had a torture session with Akari today," Izuna said.

"Why are you concerned all of a sudden?" Madara said. "You never really liked watching people being tormented."

"I know, I know," Izuna replied hurriedly. "But I have to learn how to tolerate gore once in my life."

Madara paused then said, "You've been visiting the girl, haven't you? That's why you're concerned?"

Izuna sighed, admitting defeat. "Ugh, alright, yes, I've been visiting her, but—"

"Why?" Madara retorted. "How many times have I told you that you shouldn't talk to the prisoners? And moreover, why _the girl_, of all people?"

"You know I need friends, Brother," Izuna replied. "And besides, Akari isn't half bad!"

"She's a prisoner, Izuna. She's a hostage. Other than that, nothing about her concerns me. The girl is nothing but a tool."

Izuna bit his lip and his shoulders slumped in disappointment. "At least do me a small favor."

Madara's eyes narrowed. "That depends. What is the favor?"

"She has a name, Brother. I ask of you to use it. She isn't just 'a girl'."

Madara's face grew exasperated. "I'm sorry, for saying this Izuna, but she is a worthless spy. She doesn't deserve to be called 'kunoichi', moreover, her name. She is not worthy of my respect."

Izuna's face went blank, as if that insult meant nothing. "Well, alright, if that pleases you." The young Uchiha managed a small smile. "I'll go see her, if that's fine with you."

Madara paused for a while then sighed before saying, "It's is. Do what you want; as long as the girl doesn't kill you in the process, it's fine."

Izuna smiled. "Thank you, Brother." The younger Uchiha bowed to the older one before running off down the corridor to Akari's cell many floors down.

Madara stood there in thought. Izuna had a new "friend"; however, he was really picky with her companions, growing up in a war-torn land. But here he was, talking about the girl he captured just days ago. She really needed charm and charisma to gain Izuna's naïve attention. The two were very similar: happy-go-lucky, carefree and loyal. They were all too the same. The girl, however, was odd. The maids and the jail keepers who took care of her cell and fed her meals were respected by her, and no matter how badly she was beaten, she would always smile. It was such a childish and pathetic attitude. But it struck Madara in more ways than one.

All these thoughts brought a smirk to Madara's face. Not knowing where the grin came from, he opened the door to his office and closed it behind him.


	4. Two Sides

**CHAPTER 4: Two Sides**

**Heeeyyy! **

**Thanks to the people who reviewed and etcetera. I seriously appreciate such. I know that the plot's getting pretty much nowhere as of this moment, but then again, it'll get there somewhere. **

**So anyway, this chapter was so ughhh. Took me an entire week to write and I got stuck on so many parts that I couldn't move from the spot. I was barely done with the paper draft before I got stuck here. I had to cram so much so that I could even type this. I'm really slow in typing and it took me more than 2 hours to finish it. And the italicized words drove me crazy! **

**Anyway, Akari's backstory is given here. Can't really give away a lot though. Otherwise it's gonna ruin the fun. You'll see. Everything will be clear when enough is said. And I'm sorry if I scared you in the first part of the chapter. Madara doesn't really die. But I want him too. But I can't let that happen. And it can't really happen. Let's face it. He's too badass. Izuna appears here too and we'll see his caring side. ;)**

**This will be the start of a huge thing, folks. Though I think there's gonna be roughly less than 10 or 20 chapters (that's how I write, so sad TT_TT). Next update is after the week, I guess. BUT I SERIOUSLY CAN'T PROMISE ANYTHING, OKAY?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone. I own a goldfish, though. Does that count?**

**CHAPTER 4: Two Sides**

"_Madara!" _

"_Hashirama!" _

An explosion of dust, smoke, wood, and fire went off in the countryside, sending a flock of birds flying away and a small quake of the ground. Hashirama and Madara were blown back by the explosion, but jumped in the air and landed on their feet many miles away from each other. Hashirama's face and armor was scratched and burnt and his hair was tangled; same went for Madara's cloaks and appearance. The Senju held out his sword and a kunai while Madara held his gunbai and grasped a sickle.

"Give up already, Hashirama!" Madara yelled. "It's useless! You're too weak to be facing an Uchiha such as myself! It's _over!_"

"You're naïve, Madara," Hashirama shouted back. "You don't fully see the outcome of this battle! We're evenly matched; it's a stalemate! _Both_ of us will win, or _both _of us will die!"

Madara clenched his teeth. Hashirama couldn't listen. How couldn't he see that he was obviously more powerful? "No…you're _wrong!_" Madara screamed in outrage. "_You _will be the one to die! _I _will win, _and I will be victorious!_"

Hashirama paused, no particular expression on his face. All of a sudden, he started to smile a small sly grin. "On second thought," he said. "I take my other statement back. _I'll _win. _You'll _die."

Madara was flabbergasted and he furrowed his bow in confusion. He never heard Hashirama say things like that. It was like in a fraction of a second he gained all of the confidence in the world that he could win against Madara. How could he be so convinced that he would win? They were both equally matched in every way possible. It was terribly strange and bizarre.

"What in the world are you saying?!" Madara grew more and more annoyed with ever word he yelled. "Of course _you'll _lose! Where the hell did you get the courage to taunt _me?!_"

Hashirama said nothing while the smile on his face disappeared. He put his arm to the side and, still gripping his sword, muttered one word.

"Akari,"

Madara gasped in realization. It was the spy. But by the time he found out, it was too late.

He heard a swooshing sound behind him and the sound of a sharp knife scraping against metal. He felt a sharp pain pierce his back and move forward to the front, like fire burning straight through his body. As he felt blood trickle out of his mouth and down his chin, he looked at his chest where two hands, which passed straight though his body, clutched a bloodied kunai. The hands yanked the kunai back and he grasped his wound, his gloves starting to stain with blood. He staggered forward and knelt then finally fell to the ground.

'I…Impossible!' Madara thought. 'I should have sensed her chakra long ago!'

With his eyes near closed and his deep breathing weak, he saw Akari. Her beautiful face was darkened with disdain and her hands, one holding a kunai, were wet with blood. _His _blood. The thought made the burning wound even more agonizing. He heard footsteps, and he saw Hashirama looking down at him, just like the spy. He held his long sword to the Uchiha's neck.

"It's a pity, Madara," Hashirama said. "You were a fine rival and a great shinobi. It's such a sad thought to think you died at the hands of a woman. Your flaw was in her." Here he smirked. "It's a shame, really. Goodbye, Uchiha Madara."

Hashirama brought the sword above his head and swung it down.

'No,' Madara tried to speak, but his teeth were clenched in pain. 'No, no, no, no, no! _Nooooo!_'

The sword struck flesh.

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"_NOOOOO!" _

Madara woke up with a scream and sat up in his bed, panting and sweating like mad. He sighed in relief once he felt his futon mattress under his fingers and wiped his face with his blankets. He lay down on his bed, breathing heavy breaths.

'It was just a dream,' he reassured himself over and over. 'It was just a dream,'

His room was dark because all of his doors and windows were closed. It was pretty hot too; he couldn't even understand why he slept with blankets. It was probably two in the morning, and he tried to sleep but couldn't. That dream—more like nightmare—bothered him too much. He lay in the dark, trying to think of what it meant. But he couldn't. He was still too jittery and warm to think, and the dark constantly reminded him of the death he was about to face. He needed fresh air to think.

Madara knew that it was too cold outside, and he didn't really wear a shirt when he slept, so he grabbed his purple haori on his bedside and struggled sleepily to put it on. He drowsily got out of his bed and opened the sliding door of his bedroom to a balcony, and then he stepped out on it and looked to the star-studded night sky.

There was a half moon in the sky among billions of stars. He closed his eyes and sighed, letting the cold night breezes touch his skin and tug at his haori and pants. It was cold, but relieving. His mind was clear. He was so relaxed that he even forgot for a minute what he came out there for in the first place. He opened his eyes and leaned against the wooden balcony rails, looking at the large forest that stretched for miles until the mountains made the stretch of the horizon. He thought of his...dream.

Was he taking some kind of hallucination food? Or some water or something? What in the world did it mean? Where did he get it, and why did it happen all of a sudden? He tried to recollect his thoughts and recall everything. Akari terribly injured him, and Hashirama gave the final blow. So what? None of that really would happen in real life. But then, also, Akari was working with Hashirama in the dream. Did that mean that she did in real life? Was his dream even right about what Hashirama said?

Was Akari…his flaw?

That seriously can't be. He was Uchiha Madara! He _had _no flaw! And his weak spot certainly can't be that pathetic excuse of a spy. How could it? She was weak, intolerable, and absolutely annoying. She always smiled, laughed, giggled and whatever reflected happiness, and it was an attitude that was extremely childish and naïve. She was by far the most worthless girl he had ever met in his life. She wasn't even worthy of being called a shinobi. How in the world would _she _be his flaw?

Madara sighed. Maybe it _was_ just a dream that made no sense. He shouldn't really worry. Dreams like those were just probably creations of his macabre imagination. It was all just nothing. Nothing to worry about. The girl really can't be his flaw. Something as absurd as that wouldn't really happen in real life, and it gave him reassurance that it would never happen.

The relief brought a smirk to him.

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"You're almost there, Haju!"

A young nine-year-old boy was hanging onto a bough, trying to reach for a ripe orange very close to his reach. The boy, Haju, was clawing desperately on the branch, his fingers just inches away from the fruit while a young girl about his age was yelling from below to cheer him on.

She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted. "Come on, Haju! You can do it!"

Haju was able to grab the orange and shouted in triumph. But the branch started to crack under his weight and it fell. The boy clung onto it and the plucked orange as he fell yelling, and he landed with a thud on the forest floor, together with the remains of a broken bough. The girl gasped and ran to help Haju up and remove the leaves sticking out of the poor boy's hair.

"Hey," the girl said, concerned. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah," Haju replied as he rubbed his head. He smiled and held out the fruit. "Ha! I got it!"

The girl grinned. "See? Now come on, peel it!"

Haju stared discontented at the orange. "I don't know, Aki. It's just one orange. I don't think it can feed the both of us."

"You _fell _for that orange, _literally_," the girl, Aki, said. "At least savor your efforts."

Haju sighed. "Fine,"

The young boy gripped the skin and peeled it while the two children sat under the tree. Haju threw away the bitter orange peeling and tried to tear apart the orange into equal halves, but he failed. One was bigger than the other.

"Here," Haju handed over the bigger slice to Aki. "You get the lion's share. It would be rude of me not to give it to you."

"No way," Aki declined, getting the smaller half from the boy. "As I said before, _you _got the orange, so _you _enjoy most of it." Haju was about to grab the small part from her but she bit it while struggling away, to his disappointment. "See? Now you have no other choice but to get the bigger one."

Haju grumbled in disappointment and cut his bigger slice so it would be equal to the smaller one. He kept the excess in his pocket. "There, so we're _both _equal."

"Oh," Aki said. "Then what're you going to do with the rest?"

"Give it to my brother," Haju bit into his orange. "He was supposed to come here and play with us."

"Yeah," Akari swallowed a bite, but then her eyes suddenly lit up and widened. "Hey! I remember something!"

"Hmmnn?" Haju asked. "What?"

"Your brother was supposed to facilitate out spar! You _promised _that we would spar!" Her face was both crestfallen and excited at the same time. "Come on, Haju!"

Haju bit his half again and gave a smug smile. "I don't know, Aki. I have second thoughts. If I was to spar with you, I'd wipe you flat without even trying!" The young boy chuckled.

Aki gave a playful frown. "Don't be such a show-off. What if you lose?" The young girl smiled. "Are you just saying that because you're afraid to lose to a girl?"

"What? No!" Haju blushed and retorted. "It's just, well…I'm too scared that I'll hurt you!"

Aki scoffed. "Come on, don't act so prissy. I'm not _that _delicate." She stood up and held up a fist. "Let's do it, Haju! No holding back!"

"But, uh," Haju said nervously, trying to come up with a lame excuse. "We don't have an arbitrator!"

"We don't need an arbitrator," Aki retorted happily.

Haju groaned and stood up. He was out of excuses. "Alright, let's do it. But don't say I didn't warn you."

Both Aki and Haju walked a distance away from the orange tree and put a noticeable width between each other, both set in fighting position. Since neither of them knew how to use ninjustu or genjustu, this was a full-fledged taijutsu spar. The two children grew up in a war-torn era, the era of the battles between the Senju and Uchiha, so they were trained in taijutsu from a very young age.

Aki smiled and made the first move. She ran towards Haju and tried to land a punch, but she was blocked by his crossed arms. She tried to kick and punch his feet and his head multiple times moving forward, but Haju would block, sidestep, lean forward or backward, or jump. Aki's hits were full of strength, but not easily controlled, giving Haju an opportunity to hold onto her limbs. Haju grabbed her arm and went under it, putting her body in a twisted position. He pulled her forward and pushed her away, making her run without control and take a while to regain her balance. All of a sudden, a voice echoed in her head.

"_Akari…" _

Aki looked around to find the source of the voice. "Hey, Haju. Did you hear that?"

Haju was about to run and tackle Aki when he tried and stopped to listen for this sound she was talking about. There was nothing but silence and day breezes in the forest. "I don't hear anything, Aki."

"_Akari…" _

"Are you sure?" Aki asked.

"Yes, I'm sure," Haju stood and tilted his head in confusion. "Are you alright, Aki?"

"_Akari…hey, Akari!" _

"Haju," Aki looked around her like she was surrounded by darkness. She looked so paranoid and frightened, like a cornered mouse. "Haju, I'm scared…" The poor confused girl crumpled and knelt unto the forest floor.

"Hey, hey Aki," Haju knelt before the girl and put his arms around her, hugging and shaking her, trying to get her out of daze. "Hey, come on, Aki. It's alright, I'm here. Come on, Aki, what's the matter?"

"_Akari, you have to get up!" _

Aki started to sniffle and tear up. Soon she started to cry. She was just too confused, and she had nothing else to do.

Haju shook his head. "No…no no no no no. Hey, don't cry." He dug into his pocket and fished out the orange he cut off earlier. "H-here, I was going to save it from my brother, but you can have it. I know how much you love oranges. Come on, Aki, stop crying."

"_Akari, come on." _

Aki sobbed harder while Haju held her tighter. "You can tell me. It's okay. What's your problem? I'll help you. Come on, Aki."

"_Akari, please! Akari!" _

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Akari gasped for air and sat up on her bed with a jolt. Morning air wafted through the bars of her cell. She panted and wiped her face. What a dream. It was a dream about Haju…how much she missed her childhood playmate. She sat there in confusion and grief when she felt someone touch her arm. The girl turned her head to see an Uchiha kneeling at the side of her bed, holding bandages and wearing a concerned face. It took her a while to recognize him.

"I…Izuna?" she mumbled sleepily.

"You're awake, finally," Izuna gave a relieved sigh. "You weren't waking up. You had me worried for a moment there. Now come on and sit up." He shuffled and held up the linen while the girl drowsily did as she was told. "Let's change your bandages."

"O-oh," Akari glanced at her arms, legs, hands, and feet and touched her forehead. They were covered in old blood-stained bandages. Izuna came to her after her torture session a few days ago and he offered to wrap her wounds. Just thinking about the sweet thought made her smile.

"Come on," the Uchiha held out his hand.

Akari placed her arm on his hand and he unwrapped the bloody linen. Her arm was coated in dry wounds, and she couldn't help but wince in pain every time Izuna moved her arm.

"Oh, sorry," Izuna apologized as he gently wrapped the clean wraps around her fingers, hand, and arm. "The scars look better though. They might look a little bad, but still."

Akari gave a small smile as she handed him the other arm.

"What were you dreaming about?" Izuna asked.

Akari stared at the Uchiha dumbfounded. It was as if he knew what had happened in her sleep. It was like he was just there witnessing her entire dream unfold. "N-nothing," she stuttered.

Izuna smirked. "If you say so. You looked pretty disturbed in your sleep. You kept muttering this name while you were tossing and turning." Here he chuckled. "Who's this Haju boy?"

Akari blushed. How could she be so stupid to be talking in her sleep? "Uh, he's my…well, a childhood companion, that's all."

Izuna knotted the bandage and sat on the bend behind her so that he could untie the wraps around her forehead. "Well, if that's the case, he might be a sibling. Do you have any siblings, by any chance?"

"Well, Haju isn't a sibling," Akari was cautious in spilling information. "But I have an older sister."

Izuna removed the bandages on her forehead and left the remaining clean ones on her bed. He moved and sat on the floor in front of her. "Your family part of the war, I presume?"

Akari shrugged. "I guess so."

"There you are, Izuna."

There was a deep familiar voice coming from the cell door. Both Uchiha and prisoner looked there to see Madara clad in loose purple robes, black pants, same colored gloves, and shinobi sandals that looked like boots. There were kunais kept in his belt along with a katana blade at his back. He had a brown leather vambrace that was strapped to his right forearm.

"B-brother!" Izuna exclaimed. "What're you doing up so early?"

"Let me return that statement to you," Madara replied nonchalantly.

"Oh, I was just taking care of Akari," Izuna said, gesturing to the smiling girl. Madara shot a quick look of anger at Akari before Izuna continued. "Why? Where are you going?"

"I'm going hunting," Madara replied. "Tell the guards I won't be here for the morning. I'll be back by noon."

"Alright," Izuna obediently replied.

Madara left silently as he came in. Izuna sighed and looked at Akari with an unreadable expression.

"Was he…always like that?" Akari quietly asked.

"No, not long before Father passed away, at least," Izuna replied, not meeting her eyes. He changed the subject. "You can handle replacing your leg bandages by yourself, can't you?"

Akari nodded.

"Great," Izuna stood and gathered the dirty linen. "I have to tell the guards Brother's out hunting. See you later, Akari."

"See you later," she replied.

The Uchiha smiled, left the cell, and locked the door behind him. Akari was alone again. She sighed, both in relief and exasperation, unknotted her leg bandages and proceeded to remove them.


	5. Of Meetings and Various Other Things

**CHAPTER 5: Of Meetings and Various Other Things**

**Hey, good to see you guys again!**

**It took me another long time to make the paper draft and make a rough computer draft and finally this thing you're reading. If you see any proofreading errors, sorry in advance. I've been living on hot chocolate and toast while typing this because IT'S SO COLD. I was rushing, and I have too many things to do over the weekend. Procrastination, YEAH!**

**Okay, so I decided to make Madara a focal point in this. You'll see the importance of this later on, because Akari'll get her spotlight moment too. Also, you'll see an inside look on the way the Warring States Era runs its course. You'll see what Madara does in his pastime too. It's called falconry. What's falconry, you ask? Well, it's a hobby or something where the trainer breeds, commands, or uses birds of prey like hawks or falcons (get where its name comes from?) to hunt down smaller animals. Even describing it tells me that it needs the attitude of a leader to bring together a pack of violent animals under your control. Madara's so macabre, even in his hobbies. Other than that, the epic rivalry starts between Hashirama and Madara. And Akari gets sucked in, whether she wants to or not. And you'll see more of Haju and Aki in the next chapter! ;)**

**Kung Hei fat Choi, all of you! Whether you're celebrating it or not, I wish you a Happy Chinese New Year! Horse fellas, let's get this started! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. We seriously have to go over this. **

**CHAPTER 5: Of Meetings and Various Other Things**

Madara trudged through the forest. The woods were peaceful, the sky was blue, and tranquil winds whistled through the forest and blew through his hair. His boots crunched stones and dead leaves on the path as he looked up to the sky, searching for his bird.

"Shiro," he whispered as another breeze blew past him.

As if on cue, the caw of a falcon was heard from above. A large white bird of prey flew towards Madara as he held out his arm with the vambrace. The falcon reduced its speed as it grew closer to its master, and it landed perfectly on the leather covering. It cawed and gripped the vambrace with its talons, tilting its head and looking at Madara curiously with beady black eyes.

The Uchiha sighed. "Nothing?"

The bird cawed as if it understood Madara then pecked at its talons.

Madara sighed and looked to the sky. How could there be no game? It wasn't cold, so there must have been snakes or something, or even a rabbit. Why did Shiro come back without a killed animal? Was it because he was new? Madara fished out a piece of raw meat from a pouch and fed it to Shiro. The falcon gobbled it happily and cawed again.

"Come back with something, Shiro," Madara said to the bird.

Shiro flapped his wings and flew from Madara to the skies. The Uchiha sighed once the bird left him, and he continued to walk through the forest. He didn't know how long he walked, but he came upon a small pond in the woods. There was a small community of fishes, lily pads, and even a handful of cattails. The water was clear and fractured the bright sunlight, and the pink lilies were in bloom. It looked like something from a dream.

'Might as well call it a rest stop,' Madara thought. 'No one lives nearby anyway.'

The clan leader walked up to the shore of the pond, removed his boot-like shoes, rolled up his pants, sat on the bank, and dipped his bare feet into the water. He sighed in pleasure. How warm and perfect the water was! He cupped the water and washed his face then reclined and supported his upper body weight on his arms.

This was the perfect spot to relax after or during a hunt. It had everything: relaxing scenery, warm water, fish to cook and a lot more. Madara secretly claimed it as his own property. He looked into the water and met the face of a man with a stern look in his eyes and spiky hair covering the right side of his face. He touched the water and it started to ripple, distorting his reflection. A lot of people told him that he looked like his father. And he couldn't help but agree.

Madara sat in thought and looked to the sky, waiting for Shiro to come.

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Two Uchihas were sparring in the grass field outside the compound. Izuna dodged another hit thrown by Madara. He tried to land another hit on his feet, but the younger Uchiha jumped and landed on his hand, dodging a head punch, and landed on his feet again as flawless and acrobatic as a cat would. Izuna knew that his brother was tired from hunting, so he knew he had to take it easy somehow. He stopped his fighting stance.

"Is it alright if we stop, Brother?" Izuna asked. "You look so fatigued."

Izuna was right. Madara had changed from his hunting attire to his shirt, haori and pants but he looked tired. "You're too concerned about me, Izuna," Madara replied. "I'm fine."

"No, I _insist _we stop," Izuna demanded, He held out his hand. "Come on; let's go back to the compound."

Madara shook his head and crossed his arms. "It's alright, Izuna. I'm fine." Izuna sighed and stood in front of his brother. "Besides," the clan leader continued, "you're getting proficient in taijustu."

Izuna smiled at Madara's comment. "Thank you, Brother."

There was a very long and uncomfortable silence between the brothers until Izuna said, "By the way, the divisions have requested another meeting.

Madara sighed. 'Another meeting,' he thought exasperated. "Which division?"

"All except North," Izuna said. "The attacks are growing heavier, Brother, and the North haven't contacted us in a very long time. The Senju grow strong."

Madara narrowed his eyes and walked two steps towards the compound in front of Izuna. With his back facing his brother's, he sternly said, "The Uchiha grow stronger."

The clan leader continued to walk to the compound while Izuna obediently followed behind him.

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Izuna had visited Akari's cell after that, and, after he had changed her bandages, they discussed many things like their proficiency in justu, prowess, and constantly compared their skills. The subject tossed and turned until it came to rest on the division meeting Madara had gone to attend.

"What's this meeting?" Akari asked.

Izuna scratched the back of his neck nervously. "I really can't tell you."

"Come on," Akari pleaded. "It'll be a secret between you and me."

Izuna raised an eyebrow. "Really? Promise?"

Akari nodded, vowing in her head that she would keep her promise.

"Alright," Izuna said, leaning forward and hushing his voice to a whisper. "They've called a division meeting, and Brother's been called to attend."

"A division meeting?" Akari echoed.

A division meeting was a familiar term to her; she always heard her masters talk such. It was a meeting of team leaders—division leaders—and their updates on their battles. There were many divisions per clan, therefore many leaders, and many battles to be won or lost. She was aware that the Uchiha had four divisions, each with fifteen members (therefore, sixty men); her masters had six divisions, but only ten members (so, also sixty men).

"Yes, a division meeting," Izuna replied. "Brother's the clan leader, so he has to facilitate the battle welfares."

"Who are your enemies?" Akari asked.

Izuna paused for a while then said, "The Senju."

Akari sharply inhaled. The Senju: of course. She was well acquainted with them, and she hoped with all her trust that the Senju would succeed in the division battle. They were her…

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Madara walked into a room with both wood as its floors and walls and lit by lambs stuck to the wall. There was a long rectangular table in the room with five chairs—two on each long side and one on the short side. Madara looked to the center of the table, where a map of the Five Great Nations lay. On its right were four red pieces an on its left were six green pieces which stood for divisions. Madara continued to walk to the single chair and he sat on it nonchalantly as he looked at the three people who were with him on the chairs.

They were all Uchihas, of course; the onyx eyes and the black hair were total giveaways. One had an X-shaped scare beside his right eye; he was the leader of the Eastern Division: Uchiha Tadashi. The second had an eye patch on his left eye and his hair falling to the front; he led the Southern Division: Uchiha Hitoshi. The last was the youngest in the room and he had a red headband pulling his ponytailed hair back; he came from the Western Division: Uchiha Kaito. Madara eyed the leaders and put his hands on the desk.

"Since you all called me here," Madara announced. "I give you the opportunity to start. Give me your reports on your divisions, and we can make a new battle plan from there."

"Sir, I have a report," Hitoshi started. "Our Southern Division was attacked by only one division from the Senju. They were outnumbered, so our division won. A victory for the Uchiha."

Madara smirked and turned his head to Kaito.

"My lord," Kaito said. "Troops here in the west are inactive. We haven't fought a division for an awfully long time."

Madara nodded and looked at Tadashi.

"Sir," Tadashi stated with his head bowed. "We fought two divisions at once. And, sad to say, we suffered a tie. We narrowly lost with our enemy. It was humiliating. Apologies, Lord Madara."

Madara clicked his tongue. "Any word from the Northern Division?"

"No sir," all three of them replied. They all knew about the Northern Division. It was active before, but suddenly reports about it stopped coming. Men from the division disappeared. And it was such a recent event that everyone talked about it.

Madara sighed and got the green pieces and positioned them near the Land of Fire border. "The Senju will be positioned here, near the borders." He got the red pieces and positioned them in the four cardinal directions around a small red dot in the Land of Fire labeled "compound". "We continue with the Cardinal Formation. Since we don't know the welfare of the Northern Division," here he knocked down the northern piece, "You three have to immensely focus. Kaito, your division handles both north and west due to your inactivity. If you ever need backup, don't hesitate to call Tadashi and Hitoshi. And you should all stock up on extra messenger hawks if ever you've run out of main hawks. Now, about the welfare of the Northern Di—"

"Brother!"

The door of the room slid open. Standing at the mouth of the door was a worried Izuna supporting an Uchiha who was near dead with scars. His purple attire was crumpled, torn, and burn and his face spelled pure terror. Everyone in the room tensed up except Madara, who stood instead.

"Izuna," he said. "Who is this?"

"He's a clansman who came in like this just a while ago." Izuna said, letting him sit on the vacant chair. "And get this: he's from the Northern Division!"

Everyone in the room gasped—even Madara. The clan leader walked beside the chair and spoke to the clansman.

"Is what my brother said true?" Madara asked. "You are a member of the Northern Division?"

The man nodded ferociously.

"What happened to the Northern Division?" the clan leader asked calmly.

"I-It was terrible, Lord M-Madara," the Uchiha stuttered. "There were three divisions we were up against. They sabotaged out division communications. They ravished such power. T-They thought me dead, so they left me. Their leaders were u-unstoppable…they captured our leader, everyone!"

Madara's eyes narrowed. "Who were their leaders?"

"T-The third division was headed by a man who they called Senju Hotaka. The second one by some Water Style user, and the first was Senju Ha…" The clansman shivered and stopped there.

"Hashirama," Madara finished darkly.

"B-Brother?" Izuna stuttered beside him.

Madara paused. "Rewrite the battle plan," Madara said to the division leaders. "Command the back-up troops to group. They'll become the new Northern Division, and _I _will be the leader."

"Sir," Hitoshi said. "This might backfire. If you _die _fighting three divisions at one, it _will _be risky. You might die."

"I won't," Madara reassured. "I can even bring Izuna."

Izuna gasped. "W-What?! Brother?"

"You're taking a _double risk_, sir," Tadashi said. "You're risking _an heir _as well."

Madara grew outraged. "If we do not take risks, what do you think will happen?! We will _lose!_ We, the Uchiha, will _fall!_ We are legendary, and we will not fall to a weak clan such as the Senju! Would we be worthy to die a death at their hands?!"

Silence came upon the division leaders. Madara calmed down, sighed, and sat again at his desk. "I leave with the troops to the north in a week. If not, a fortnight. Can that be agreed on?"

All the leaders nodded, fearing his anger.

"You are dismissed," he announced. The three leaders bowed, one by one, before leaving the office. Madara sighed again and put a hand to his forehead.

"B-Brother?" Izuna stuttered. "Am I really going?"

Madara did not meet his eyes. "If you want to prove your proficiency to the world, join me in battle. With me by your side, you—we—will not lose." Izuna sighed. "Take the clansman to the infirmary." Madara commanded.

"Yes, Brother," Izuna bowed and helped the clansman up and they both limped out of the office.

Madara was alone in the office with an open door. He looked at the map and the battle formation on his desk. The Senju were strong, strong enough to capture one entire Uchiha division. But Madara knew he was even _stronger_. If his enemy was to be Hashirama, the only shinobi who is equal to his power was Madara. He remembered that dream, the dream where he died. He remembered Hashirama's words:

"_You don't fully see the outcome of this battle! We're evenly matched; it's a stalemate! Both of us will win, or both of us will die!" _

That couldn't be right. Why was he using that dream as a basis again? It was a lie! All of it. Akari: his flaw? What nonsense! Madara picked up all the green pieces and nearly crushed them in his clenched fist.

'You will fall, Hashirama,' he said in his mind. 'You will plead at my feet. I will show no mercy.'


	6. Haju and Aki

**CHAPTER 6: Haju and Aki**

**How are you all? I'm digging this story! Thanks for the reviews and favorites and follows! I was busy beta-ing a story, that's why I didn't get enough time to do this. It's really short, I know. But still, here it is. Fresh…well, ish, I guess. **

**Hints of Akari's backstory are given here. I chose to emphasize her relationship with Haju, her childhood companion and playmate. His personality and entire being can be seen as we go through this. I absolutely loved writing this one. It was super interesting for me, and I hope it'll be interesting for you. Madara also will make his appearance in the next few chapters, where we'll see him go head-to-head with Hashirama later on. And you'll see how important Akari is there. ****And favor. Please don't ship Aki with Haju. **

**Why? Oh, you'll see why later on.**

**Next update? Probably next week if I'm not flooded with homework. Which I am now. So probably not next week. I'm really busy and my exams are ALSO next week so I don't know if I'll post. I probably will next Friday, but I'M NOT SURE, OKAY?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anyone but Akari. How many times do I have to go through this?**

**CHAPTER 6: Haju and Aki **

Izuna laughed at Akari's story while she smiled in her cell, lit by a dim lamp on her bedside table. Even when they were both in the dark, Izuna enjoyed the company of Akari, and he couldn't stop laughing at one of her childhood tales.

"I can't believe you pranked them all," Izuna praised. "Even their brother!"

Akari giggled. Her story went like this. Her childhood playmate Haju had cousins—a group of girl triplets named Mai, Kayo, and Chika, and their older brother named Katsuo. That night, the triplets had a feast and bragged about it to Akari and Haju, who could never afford such a meal. So both of them sprinkled spice powder onto the food and the result and reaction was astoundingly priceless. Both Akari and Haju got a bad scolding from Haju's father, but all's well ends well.

"How old were you?" Izuna asked, wiping away tears.

"I guess seven," Akari replied.

Izuna chuckled while he stood up. "You had a _wild_ childhood, Akari. And this Haju friend of yours, he seems like a charming fellow. Where is he now?"

"He passed away," Akari said, solemnly but bluntly. "He was called to war."

Izuna paused. "I'm so sorry."

"No, it's alright," Akari said with a smile. "You don't really have to be."

"Well, it's late," Izuna walked to the door. "I'm sorry about leaving with Brother to the Northern Division. He told me I should go. I'll be back in a fortnight or something; we're leaving in three days."

"Come back alive please," Akari said jokingly.

"Alright, I'll try," Here Izuna opened the cell door. "Goodnight, Akari."

She crawled into her bed. "Goodnight, Izuna."

Izuna closed the door and locked it behind him. Akari lay in the dark, staring at her dimly lit lamp for a while. The night was cold, and she didn't have any blanket, so she was shivering. She couldn't sleep, and she didn't know why. All she knew was that she wasn't aware of when she actually fell into slumber. It was midnight.

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_It was all but a dream and a lost memory. Nothing more, nothing less._

"Haha!"

It was noon in a garden, a rather large garden too. There were trees and shrubs everywhere, and a pond lay at its center. A child boy was walking on its surface proudly, showing off to a young girl at its shore. He waddled and strut across the water as easily as he would do on land. He laughed and chortled and made faces to the girl occasionally.

"No fair!" the girl shouted. "You're just a big bragger!"

"You're just jealous!" the boy teased back.

"I'm not!" the girl screamed back.

"Aki's jealous of me~!" the boy, Haju, sang. "Aki's jealous~! Aki's jealous~! Aki's—" His tease song was interrupted by a rock thrown at his head. He lost his balance on the chakra control of his feet and fell into the shallow water.

"Quit it!" Aki yelled. She fumbled and sighed then crossed her arms. "Jeez, you don't have to be such a jerk."

Haju sat up in the shallow pond wet from head to toe with a lily pad sitting on top of his head. He spat out pond water like some fountain before he spoke. "Hey, c'mon, I was just playing around."

Aki faced the other way, still mad at the boy. But she heard Haju speak and couldn't help but feel sorry for him, and she felt guilty for getting mad at him. She prepared some long speech about her being sorry as she turned around, but when she saw him like that, childish and absolutely funny-looking with a lily pad on top of his head, she burst in laughter.

"You look like a pond ornament!" she roared in between gasps. "It's hilarious! Hahaha!"

Haju stood up and fumed, still with the lily pad balancing on his head like a hat. "I do not! It's just that _you _threw a rock at me!"

Aki continued to laugh and soon she was on the ground, chortling, rolling and clutching her stomach. And to make it even funnier, a frog landed on Haju's lily pad hat, and Haju got so scared of it he reached up to get it off him in panic and, as a result, fell again into the pond. Haju continued to scream at her in anger, but Aki was too happy to care.

_The dream shifted._

It was mid-morning. Aki sat under the tree in her yard, plucking nearby flowers. She waited for Haju to come because she had something cool to show him. It was almost his birthday, and he was turning eleven. She _had _to show him her crazy new skill. It would blow him off his feet!

"Hey, Aki."

Haju appeared from behind the tree wearing loose yukata pants and shirt with a haori and his hair ponytailed. He looked otherwise like he should: a handsome growing young preteen.

"W-Wow, Haju," Aki stuttered and pointed at him. "What's with the getup?"

Haju gave a quick glance at his clothes and chuckled. "Oh, this. It's getting close to my birthday, so I thought of getting a new wardrobe."

Aki scoffed. "Whatever, Haju. You still look like a girl."

Haju gave an annoyed face then sighed. He smiled then motioned for Aki to follow him. "Come on, I want to show you something."

Aki looked curious and confused at the same time, but she stood up and followed Haju to the center of the garden. The boy made hand signs too fast for Aki to follow then he put his hand on the ground.

"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"

A large block of tall solid soil and rock rose from the ground in front of where Haju put his hand. Aki's eyes beamed in amazement and the boy smiled at her impressed face.

"Woah!" she exclaimed. "You found your Nature Release!"

Haju smiled and took out an orange. "You want to half this?" he asked. Aki nodded in reply and he prepared to peel it with his fingernails when the girl stopped him.

"Hey, throw me that orange," she said. "I'll show you something cool."

Haju looked at the orange curiously before throwing it directly at Aki, like he would to a rock. Aki made quick hand signs and stood at fighting stance then swung her arm, making a sharp long sonic wind blast.

"Wind Style: Wind Blade!"

The fruit thrown at Aki was sliced into two equal parts by the wind blade. The pieces fell into her hands then she smiled and gave one to Haju.

"So none of us have to worry about the bigger half," Aki said with a giggle.

Haju got the half, bit into it, and smiled. "Spar after, right?"

"Definitely,"

_It shifted. _

Haju and Aki were now both fourteen. But they were both just as childish.

It was three o'clock in the afternoon. The two were hanging out by a tree next to a stream with the girl triplets, Haju's cousins. Aki was climbing and swinging through the tree while Haju sat with Mai, Kayo, and Chika, who were dressed in fancy kimonos. The young boy was being pressured by them to tell them something and finally, he broke down. He whispered to them something Aki couldn't hear and when he was done, the three were shouting "I knew it!" and they blushed and giggled.

"Hey, what are you all talking about there?" Aki asked, hanging from a branch upside-down like a monkey.

Haju was about to speak when Mai interrupted. "Nothing of your concern."

Aki scoffed. "_Everything _regarding Haju _is _my concern." Here she turned to the said boy. "Come on, Haju, tell me."

Haju scratched the back of his neck and avoided her eyes. "It's about this guy—"

"A really good-looking guy," Chika interrupted, blushing and obviously excited to say such. "Haju's friends with this really cute boy just our age!" Here she sighed. "He's _so _handsome!"

Aki rolled her eyes. This topic hardly interested her, but it was regarding Haju, so she had to try. "How does he look like?"

"Shaggy hair. Fair skin. Dreamy eyes." Kayo gushed as if she was stuck in a daydream.

"Haju?" Aki asked. "Is this true? You have other friends, I'm surprised! Tell me, what's his name?"

Haju shrugged. "He didn't tell me."

Aki started to laugh so hard that she almost fell off her tree. She turned to the triplets. "I can't believe you're dreaming and obsessing over a guy you don't even know!"

"Hey!" Mai protested. "At least we saw him once! _You _didn't!" Here the eldest triplet smirked. "Real shame you didn't get to see how gorgeous he was!"

"Real glad I didn't, or my eyes would have burnt!" Aki laughed even harder.

"You're obviously too boyish," Chika joined Mai. "You're a tomboy!"

"So what?" Aki grinned. "At least I have more adventures than you have dresses!"

"You're such a jerk!" Kayo yelled. "You have _absolutely _no taste in boys! I mean, you're hanging out with a guy like Haju!"

Haju's jaw dropped open. "Excuse me?"

Aki's expression fell from laughter to anger. "What did you say?"

The triplets stood frozen in terror of Aki while Haju stood up, fearing dread. Aki landed from the tree in front of the siblings with rage in her eyes. She took a step forward with each word she said.

"You can tease me. You can make fun of me. You can laugh at me for all I care. You can hurt me all you want. But don't you _dare _insult Haju!"

Aki raised a fist to punch them, but Haju's instincts were fast. He ran behind her and to hold her back and she tried to struggle away from his grip. But he was too strong. She grew tired, giving the triplets enough time to scream and run back to their house (which, in honesty, was more like a mansion). Aki started to pant in frustration and Haju held her up to prevent her from collapsing.

"Aki, it's alright," he consoled. "It's okay if they tease me; it's fine. I can fight my own battles. You don't have to fight them for me."

"I can't stand it," Aki confessed. "It's like they're beating you down and you don't even care."

Haju paused. "I know, I'm vulnerable, but I swear I'll make it up to you. Come on, you need some rest."

The two walked into the forest, to their home hidden in the foliage.

_It slowly faded into another time. _

Two long years have passed. The sky was dark, it was still night. A house stood near a group of other manors, and no light was in sight besides the moon and the stars above. A young lady stood at the veranda of the house, wrapping her arms around herself and letting the strong winds mess her untied hair. She saw the figure of a young man in the dark walking towards her. The young man, once he saw the girl, gasped, ran towards her at the veranda and hugged her tight. The girl hugged him back as tears slid down her face.

"H…Haju…" she whimpered.

"Aki," he replied kindly. "It's alright,"

"No, it's not," she cried as she broke free from his hug. "It's not and you know it!" She covered her face in her hands and sobbed while Haju stayed silent.

"I know it's not alright," Haju finally said. "But I'm doing this for you and for our clan."

"Why?!" Aki wailed. "Why you?! Why my best friend and family?! You were my only friend! Why would you do this to me?!" She sobbed even harder.

Haju hugged her. "I'm doing this for you. I rather die than see you at enemy hands."

"B-But Haju—"

"Don't contradict me, Aki. My mind is set. I'm doing this for you, remember?"

Aki was drowned in tears and she couldn't reply.

"Aki," Haju stroked her hair as tears started to stain his armor. "Aki, I promise I'll come back alive. Well, I'll try, at least."

"Please do," Aki tried to speak. "I want you back alive. Just…try not to die, please."

Haju made an effort to smile. "I'll try."

Haju broke the hug and walked away from Aki, waving goodbye as he trudged into the darkness, into the forest, into war. Aki knew how badly she wanted to stop him, but by all means she couldn't. Besides, he promised. He promised he would come back alive. With a heavy heart and flowing tears, Aki struggled so hard to wave goodbye.

_A lie is a truth masked in regret and failed wishes. Time passed. She knew the truth but followed the lie. She believed the truth but lived in the lie._

"Haju, come on, let's play!"

"Haju, let's go and pick some oranges!"

"Haju, you sissy, let's spar!"

"Haju, I'm so sorry for you."

"Haju, that's amazing! Do it again!"

"Haju, who's this friend?"

"Haju, don't worry, he's in a better place now."

"Haju, are you serious?"

"Haju, please, no. Please don't."

"Haju, why?!"

"Haju, I don't care, I want you to come back."

"Haju, goodbye. I'll miss you."

"Haju…w-what? No…no! It can't be!"

"Haju, you lied to me. You promised me."

"Haju, this is just a bad dream. I know you'll wake me up and say I was having a nightmare. Then we'll spar, like we used to."

"Haju, they're all lying to me. But I know you're still with me, right?"

"Haju, I have to face it. It was true…it was all true."

"Haju…haju…?"

"Haju!"

_It was fading. _

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Akari woke in her bed. It was still night. The moon's silver rays peeked out from the bars of her cell.

What kind of dream was that? Why was it about Haju? Akari remembered it well. She knew the truth. She knew everything that had to be told. And all her memories with Haju—those playful days when they were children, not knowing what the war was—were gone. They were all in her head. They were all just memories that replayed and replayed into an eternal song of depression. Once that came to thought, Akari knew she had to hold it back, but she couldn't. She sobbed and let the tears flow.

"Haju…" she cried softly.


	7. The Daimyo

**CHAPTER 7: The Daimyo**

**I made this because I was missing a crucial point. **

**I did not know that people actually HIRED THE CLANS. I JUST THOUGHT THE SENJU AND THE UCHIHA WERE FIGHTING EACH OTHER BECAUSE OF THEIR LINEAGE. I don't watch the fillers, so yeah, it's my fault. **

**Anyway, I made Madara a focal point here. He meets his boss, or the dude he works for, the daimyo, and we'll see how hard-headed and volatile he can really get. We also see here another Uchiha, one of Madara's trusted subordinates, to look after Akari. And he isn't an OC! Other than that, we'll see how smooth Madara can get with the ladies. And he doesn't even have to try!**

**Its official: Madara is a ladies' man. *Puts on a Madara wig and sunglasses and does a cool-guy pose***

**I did this late, since I wasn't finished with the paper draft and that I was working on 4 fics at a time. (I'm also doing a Hashirama/Mito if anyone's interested, but it's probably 3-shot though.) ****Anyway, thanks for all of the lovely reviews and favorites, and let's do this!**

**Oh, and happy Valentine's Day! Yes, I'm single. Hey, I wonder…if Madara was actually a real person, who among you guys would ask him out? Oh hey, I'm looking at you, fangirls. Admit it, you would. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone here besides Akari and Shogowa. Pretty sure a lot of fangirls out there want a guy with Christmas-tree hair for their own, though. **

**CHAPTER 7: The Daimyo**

"Brother! Brother!"

It was mid-morning. Izuna was clad in his wartime attire: a loose high-collared and long-sleeved purple cloak with black pants and shinobi sandals. He had a katana blade scabbard secured to his back and he had his hands covered in tight black gloves. He ran from the compound to the lawn outside, where Madara stood in front of many Uchiha warriors sporting the same clothing as that of Izuna. Madara was also clad in purple cloaks, except for the fact that he had a sling carrying the large gunbai strapped to his back. Izuna called again, and this time, Madara looked back at him.

"What is it, Izuna?" he asked.

"We just received a message from the daimyo," Izuna said, standing in front of his brother. "He knows of the Northern Division Plan, and he wants to see you."

Madara's brow furrowed. "What?"

The younger Uchiha nodded. "Yes, he said that. Before the movement to the Northern Base, he wishes us to meet us at his castle for a meeting. Tonight, at the latest."

"Damn it," Madara cursed under his breath. "Fine then," was what he said to Izuna and he said to the clansmen, "Now, seems that there's been a slight...change of plans. We're taking a detour to the daimyo's castle. He wishes to meet me." There were a number of murmurs from the clansmen.

"I'm sorry, Brother," Izuna humbly apologized. "I wasn't able to find out what for."

"That's fine," Madara replied, looking back at him. "We'll talk to him anyway."

They were all about to dash off when Izuna exclaimed, "Wait, Brother! We have a prisoner, remember? Kazehaya Akari? What're we supposed to do? What'll happen to her?"

Madara halted and looked back at Izuna with his eyes narrowed and his voice steely. "In honesty, I couldn't care less about the girl. She's a simple and weak hostage. She's just lucky enough I told one of my subordinates to look after her."

"But—"

"Izuna," Madara's voice darkened.

The younger Uchiha winced and bowed his head. "S-Sorry, Brother,"

Madara walked in front of the clansmen with Izuna obediently trailing behind him like a shadow. The clan leader jumped and sped through the forest, his brother and army obediently following him.

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Akari sat in her cell and unwrapped her bandages, and then tried to channel the little chakra she had unto her hand. It started to glow green as a result, and she put it on her aching wounds then sighed. She was _so _lucky she knew at least _some _medical ninjustu.

She heard rattling against the jail bars and it startled her so much that she stopped healing herself. She looked up to see a tall man standing outside her cell, dressed in black robe with a high collar, which meant that he was one of Madara's assistants. He had shoulder-length dark brown hair that was tied into a ponytail and black eyes, and yet he looked a tad bit older-looking than Madara.

He was obviously an Uchiha. He looked good. Then again, there was no such thing as an Uchiha who wasn't good-looking.

She noticed that he made the rattling sound by scraping a kunai by the cell bars, and he had swiftly retracted the kunai into the large sleeves of his coat, obviously trying to not let Akari see. But if he was trying to conceal it, he failed.

"You must be the spy," he said. "Kazehaya…Akari, am I right?"

The girl nodded subtly.

"Well, Miss Akari," the Uchiha said. "Do you know of the departure of Lord Madara and Sir Izuna?"

Akari nodded again. She felt some sense of grief because Izuna, the only person who ever cared for her now, was gone. But she also felt happy that the man addressed her by her name. Madara had hardly called her anything, and he had only pertained to her as "girl".

"Well, in their absence, _I'll _be the one to look after you," the clansman said. "You should consider yourself lucky. Lord Madara doesn't really tell me to guard prisoners often." Here he smirked. "You must be special."

Akari shuddered yet lit up somehow. Madara actually cared enough to let an Uchiha watch over her? He must have cared for her, and she could actually imagine him being compassionate to her. How delightful, how dreamy! But then, she remembered that she was a prisoner in her eyes, and by far the weakest shinobi he had seen in his life. He didn't really care. He was just careful not to let a hostage escape. Of course, that was what Uchiha Madara would be most likely to do. Her once high spirits fell down and she felt crestfallen.

She could feel the man smirk. "So now, Miss Akari, you can call me Hikaku. Uchiha Hikaku."

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It was nightfall when Madara and his men arrived at the daimyo's castle. They were welcomed warmly, and the clansmen were given food and beverages to drink; they were called to eat in the courtyard of the large castle. Madara and Izuna sat in the courtyard with them until the two Uchiha brothers were called to eat with the daimyo.

The two brothers were led to a large dining room with a wooden floor and a high ceiling. There was a low and long table in the center of the room, and its top was decorated with luscious food and refreshing drinks (Madara and Izuna didn't realize how hungry and thirsty they both were). Different council members were dining at the table, and they had all clapped and cheered when the two Uchihas stepped into the room. They were motioned to sit at two vacant seats to the left of a middle-aged man seated at the head of the table. Madara sat closer to the man and Izuna sat beside his brother, and then two bowed subtly to the man as a sign of respect.

"Lord Shogowa," Madara reverently said. "It is truly an honor to be able to dine in your courts."

"It is an honor to have the Uchiha shinobi fight for us," the daimyo smiled back. There were triumphant cheers from the council men, and soon, they had gone back to conversing amongst themselves.

"Now," Madara said, putting his elbow on the table. "May I ask you why you called us here?"

"Yes," Shogowa said, clasping his hands. "It's about the Northern Division Plan."

"The Northern Division Plan?" Izuna echoed. "But my lord, we already fixed the trouble."

"Yes," Madara agreed, narrowing his eyes to the daimyo. "Which is why it is odd for you to call us about an amended problem."

"Excuse my impoliteness," Shogowa replied. "But it is not."

"How is it not?" Madara asked. His patience was running thin.

"A dangerous solution is not the answer to a troublesome problem," the daimyo stated. "I heard of your plan, and it is simply too risky for me to approve."

"How is it risky?" Madara said with a small chuckle. A maid had come to his place earlier to pour sake in his glass, and how he had picked it up, drank from it, and swirled the wine, holding his cup. "Answer me, Lord Shogowa."

"You do not simply send out back-up troops like that so impulsively," Shogowa reprimanded. "It is brash, volatile, and lacking strategy! You can lose all these troops in one fell swoop! _Then _what will you do?"

"Regroup more troops," Madara replied nonchalantly, swirling the sake. "Then fight again. They will be sure to lose a second time after _their _troops tire out."

"Brother..." Izuna sighed exasperated.

"Has the great clan leader Uchiha Madara lost his mind?!" Shogowa raised his voice. "Are you _that _ruthless?! Think of a strategy for once in your life!" At this point, all the council members were silent, and they locked their attention onto the daimyo and the clan leader, who both seemed to be in an argument.

"I am _not _ruthless _or _lacking strategy," Madara's patience was short. "I am simply stating a plan a strong clan such as the Uchiha would be most likely to do."

"Have you forgotten that an _entire division_ was taken away by your enemy?!" Shogowa yelled. "Are you _that_ naïve?!"

"I am _not _naïve!" Madara yelled, slamming his hand on the table and standing up. "I have a plan. You don't see it yet, but I have a plan." Here he calmed down, took his seat and continued to look at Shogowa, drinking from his glass of sake. The councilmen strated to talk again, but their voices were hushed to murmurs.

Shogowa sighed. "Forgive me, Madara. I lost my temper."

"Forgive me as well, Lord Shogowa," Madara replied, keeping his head low. "I did not mean to anger you."

Shogowa paused. "Well? What's your plan?"

Madara paused as well then sighed. "I didn't want to say she was _actually _essential, but…"

Izuna knew what he was talking about, and he gasped. "Brother, please, no. Please promise me you won't hurt her."

"I'm sorry, Izuna," Madara looked at his brother, full of pity. "I can't really promise anything." Here he drank a sip of sake as his eyes narrowed. "And besides, why do _you _care?"

Izuna knew that the tone in Madara's voice was apathetic towards not him, but to Akari. It still hurt him though, and it brought out defiance in his voice. "She's not just a prisoner to _me_. She's my friend."

Madara's face became blank, neither concern nor empathy. He turned back at the daimyo and continued to tell him his plan.

"A few weeks ago, Izuna captured a spy," he explained. "She claims to work from people she calls her 'masters'," here he used finger quotations, "but we think she may or may not work for the Senju. She won't say, and she won't plan to tell either. She's defiant to our torture." Here he scoffed, blowing away a strand of his hair from his face. "How annoying, that woman."

"Her name?" Shogowa asked.

Madara was about to speak when Izuna said, "Akari. Kazehaya Akari."

Shogowa's eyes narrowed. "Kazehaya? I've never really heard of a Kazehaya clan before."

"Neither have we, my lord," Izuna said.

"Now, what do you plan to do with her?" Shogowa asked.

"Use her as a hostage against these _masters_," Madara put an accent on the last word. "They'll _have _to respond to her life being threatened. And we can either kill them all or use them as allies! Simple!"

"There's a backfire," Shogowa cautioned. "What if her 'masters' turn out to be the Senju?"

Madara hummed in thought, averted his gaze, and drank from his glass. "Good point. I'll send a message to Hikaku in the morning to interrogate her regarding that." Madara shrugged. "Doesn't the plan sound good?"

Shogowa just sighed. "Fine. Carry on with the Northern Division Plan for all I care. But don't say I didn't warn you."

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The Uchiha were encouraged to sleep over at the daimyo's estate, and they really needed to rest, so they accepted. The clansmen were given all the guest rooms while Madara and Izuna slept in a large one directly one floor below the daimyo's sleeping quarters. It was a large bedroom with two futon beds and a balcony to spare. Izuna took the bed closer to the balcony while Madara took the one nearest to the door. Madara noticed that the pillow of his bed was missing, and it would be messy and barbaric to use his clothes as its replacement.

A maid passed by the open door and Madara quickly halted her then asked her to bring him a pillow. To his surprise and confusion, she blushed as he spoke to her, smiled as she bowed to him and giggled as she left. This left Madara bewildered while Izuna took notice of this and he smirked instead.

"Hey, hey, hey~," Izuna said in a low sing-song voice. "Brother knows how to attract the ladies~."

Madara looked even more confused. "Excuse me?"

Izuna sighed, exasperated that his brother didn't get it, but he was still smirking. "Come on, Brother. You know, you're probably not well-known not just for your skill and infamy." Here he elbowed Madara lightly, and he looked at Izuna like he was crazy.

"What? No," Madara denied, truth in his voice. "I'm practically known _only _for my infamy."

Izuna scoffed playfully. "You haven't noticed it, but ever since you stepped foot in this castle, _all_ the maids were murmuring over you."

Madara's brow furrowed. "Even during dinner?"

"_Especially _during dinner," Izuna's eyes lightened up. "Didn't you see?"

Madara sat on his bed. "No,"

Izuna laughed. "They were chatting and giggling over you behind your back while you were talking to the daimyo! It was all stares and blushes at you! Now I'm not afraid to admit I have a handsome brother."

Madara sat exasperated and grunted. "Whatever, Izuna,"

Izuna scoffed and lied in the bed then pulled the blankets over him. He smirked and said, "Hey, who knows? What if Akari actually thinks you as handsome?"

Madara perked up and felt the urge to stand up. "Of course not," he retorted. "What makes you think that? She would be the last girl who would think me as handsome, and I would be the last man who would think her as beautiful." Here he scoffed and lied on his bed, his back to the wall.

Izuna was surprised at his alertness and sat up to show Madara he was smirking. "Hey, I just said a 'what if'. Doesn't mean it'll actually turn to reality. What's with the violent reaction?"

Madara looked at Izuna weirdly, but he did pause. "Nothing. It was just some kind of reaction. I _loathe _her, you know that."

Izuna scoffed. "Yeah, right. Goodnight, Brother."

Izuna pulled the blankets back over him, and in a matter of minutes, he was asleep. Madara sighed. What was he thinking? Was what Izuna said true? Was he just saying random stuff like that because he was just flustered, or was because he had feelings for…

Wait a minute, what the hell was he thinking? How the hell would he have feelings for that pathetic girl?

He just sighed and let it slip. He was forced to stay up all night anyway, he had a long time to think about it. He really had to wait for his pillow. What was taking that maid so long?


	8. Rendezvous

**CHAPTER 8: Rendezvous**

**So, I was busy. And I couldn't update on my last story because I'm working on this one, and another three-shot, and a co-written thing. Yes, I am busy. So don't really expect me to update early. Well, unless it's summer. But I'm pretty unsure I'll update during the summer too. **

**I actually liked writing this one. I got to own an Uchiha here, and this person's another OC (it feels nice when you own an OC Uchiha :3). We'll see the true identity of this person as we go along, and we'll also see how defensive Madara can get! He's a really intense dude, you know. Hikaku is not an OC. He's a real Uchiha. You can actually look him up. I'm not kidding! **

**Hahahah, and oh WOW. Thanks for the hilarious review, "Guest"! That made my day. I'm not kidding, this isn't sarcasm. I laughed so hard I fell off my chair. Thanks for the funny review, man. **

**Disclaimer: Don't own anyone here but the OCs. **

**CHAPTER 8: Rendezvous **

Akari woke up from her sleep because of the rattling noise she heard. She sat up in her bed to find Hikaku entering her cell, pocketing a kunai as he took of his coat and nonchalantly removed his gloves.

"S-Sir Hikaku?" Akari stammered. "What're you doing?"

Hikaku didn't reply immediately, but he closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, they were red. "I received orders from Lord Madara," he said. "You haven't told him who your masters are, haven't you?"

Akari bit her tongue and stayed still. She knew she didn't, and here Hikaku was, telling her he had orders from Madara, then asking her that. It filled her with dread.

"I heard torture wouldn't work," Hikaku continued, walking towards her. "So he asked me to do something more…humane."

Akari's back was against the wall. "W-What do you mean 'humane'?"

"It won't hurt as much as torture, but it _will _hurt," Hikaku replied. He grabbed her by the neck and turned her face to his direction. "Now, relax…"

Akari made the biggest mistake of looking into the Sharingan. Her vision went dark, and she was pulled into another alternate reality of her memory and subconscious. She knew what this was: it was memory genjustu.

From her cell, there was a scream.

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Madara, Izuna, and the troops arrived at the north at noon. The army settled into the vacant base, which was totally deserted when they came there; but there were enough dorms for the troops' use, and the weaponry they found was still usable. There was an office where Madara stayed on the top floor, with a meeting room one floor below. Although the place was barren of resources like food and water, there was a small town nearby, so that shouldn't be a problem.

It took roughly an hour or two for the new Northern Division to settle into the base, and by the time they did, it was near night-time. Madara also received a letter from an anonymous Uchiha by that time, apparently a spy from the nearby Western Division. The man in the letter said that he had the little info he could gather about the spy named Kazehaya Akari. Madara was told to meet the Uchiha spy at the geisha bar near the edge of the town (why a geisha bar, Madara didn't want to know) at night after the troops had dinner, if ever he wanted the info.

And he needed all the information he could get, so he had to.

Madara did exactly as he was told. He stayed in his office while the troops had dinner, and didn't come out even after that. Izuna was concerned about his brother, so he went upstairs to the clan leader's office. He knocked on the door thrice; it was already eight o'clock, and Madara hadn't come down for dinner yet, so Izuna had brought him up some inarizushi and a glass of sake on a tray for him. Izuna knocked on the door again.

"Brother?" he asked. "Brother, you need to eat." Izuna knocked again.

The younger Uchiha grew impatient and was about to open the door, but Madara opened it ahead. He wore a dark purple elbow-length shirt with black pants and boots, but it was almost impossible to see that outfit underneath because he wore a long ankle-length hooded black cloak without sleeves, and it was buttoned from the top and divided into two at his torso. The hood was not pulled over his head, so you could still see his unruly hair.

"Brother?" Izuna looked at Madara curiously. "Where are you going?"

"I have a meeting to attend," Madara replied, walking past Izuna. "I'll be back by an hour from now."

"Alright," Izuna obediently replied.

Madara looked back and eyed Izuna suspiciously, took one inarizushi from the tray, popped it in his mouth, then pulled the hood over his head and walked away.

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Sooner before Madara knew it, he reached the town. It was a small quaint place with houses, shops, inns, and lights all around. Pedestrians walked to and fro as Madara pushed himself through them; some of them were couples, children, teens, men, women, and occasionally, families. ('How naïve they were to be unaware of this war,' Madara thought.) The Uchiha constantly looked at the letter in his hands from time to time, looking for where he was supposed to meet with the spy. But the letter was so vague.

_Uchiha Madara, _

_I have heard of your recent prisoner, Kazehaya Akari. I have been able to gather the little information I could get about her. If you want to receive it or discuss it with me, meet me at the geisha bar near the edge of town after your troops have had dinner. _

—_A spy from the Western Division_

Madara continued walking until he stopped at an open tall building near the town border. It had the appearance of a brothel, so it must have been the place. He bowed his head, pulled the hood over his visage and walked in.

Yes, it was the place.

It looked like some quaint café, with tables all around and men were seated on them. The only women Madara could see were geishas waiting the tables, serving them food and drinks and whatnot. Some of them were dancing and playing on the low stage, and sometimes the music they played was either too loud or too soft. Madara scanned the entire room, and he saw a hooded figure seated at a cornered table, keeping his head bowed as he did. Madara immediately assumed that he was the spy. The clan leader walked over to the spy and sat down on the chair across him, and he noticed that there were two glasses of sake on the table. The spy rolled him a glass, and Madara hesitantly took it.

The man sitting in front of him was shrouded in a black cloak similar to his, only the hood was bigger and it was able to cover almost all of his face, only revealing his mouth and jaw. His hands were clasped on the table, and they were covered by the loose sleeves of his cloak. Madara hushed his voice to a whisper as he spoke.

"Are you the spy that told me to come here?" he asked, leading forward.

The man nodded his head. "Yes, Lord Madara."

Madara furrowed his brow. The voice that came out of the man's mouth was quite high for a man's. In fact, it sounded feminine. Madara bit his lip in caution to not say anything out loud. "Well," he continued. "What shall I address you by?"

"You must have known I'm an Uchiha," the man answered. "But please, call me Kakimaru."

Madara had sipped his sake. He sounded too much like a girl for him to have a name like that. "Is that your real name?" A smirk from the hooded figure clued the clan leader further, and the truth hit him like a brick to the head. "My god, you're a woman."

The "man" gave a chuckle. Now that the androgynous air had been cleared up, the voice of the spy sounded more asexual and gender confusing, although it _did _sound feminine. "How long did it take you to find out? You're fast, Lord Madara, I must admit. Not all can guess quickly. Sometimes, they don't even guess at all."

"So _you're _this shinobi I heard about," Madara said, smirking. "This so-called 'genderless warrior'?"

Kakimaru giggled. "I call it 'cross dressing'," here she used finger quotations. "I alter my appearance to look like a boy. By day, I'm a man fighting in the Western Division; by night, I'm a woman, working as a spy. It's a hard life to juggle. But really though, I _am _a woman."

"So now you're a spy," Madara mused.

Kakimaru shrugged and drank from the glass of sake. "You could say that."

Madara looked around him, and his attention was drawn to the geisha dancers onstage, their faces painted white, hair pinned and fixed, and kimonos loose, swirling and bright. The shamisen players were seated obediently to the side, plucking slowly.

"Why did you choose this place to meet me?" Madara asked, his eyes still glued to the stage. "Couldn't we meet somewhere more…decent?"

"This _is _decent, my lord," Kakimaru answered. "It would be even _more _suspicious if we were in a secluded place like an alleyway. Besides, it's more natural if two 'men' were sitting in a geisha bar discussing, am I right?"

Madara looked around again then gave his attention back to Kakimaru. "You've made your point." Here he drank again from his glass of sake. "Now, give me what made me come here in the first place."

Kakimaru nodded and dug into her cloak. She brought out papers that were stapled together. On its façade was a small picture of Akari, staring in profile form, and lists of many things about her were written below. Madara turned it towards him to read it.

**Birth date: **? (19 years old)**  
Height: **5'6"  
**Weight: **?  
**Blood type: **B  
**Affiliation: **?  
**Clan: **Kazehaya (?)  
**Favorite food: **Sweets, oranges**  
Least favorite food: **None (?)  
**Personality: **Childish and thoughtful, competitive  
**Interests: **?

Madara looked at the other papers attached to it, but they were blank, and he felt immediately annoyed. He put himself through all that trouble just for blank pages and limited information? He held the papers up for Kakimaru to see. "What are these useless papers?"

"For notes," Kakimaru replied, drinking from her sake. "I might find something and it might just disappear! I have to keep records, you know."

Madara narrowed his eyes and drank. "Do you have any info about this Kazehaya clan?"

Kakimaru paused then shook her head while she clicked her tongue. "Afraid not, Lord Madara. I was trying to retrieve information from all the libraries and clans I could get my hands on, but there was nothing! Every person I've asked doesn't even _know _of a Kazehaya clan."

"Then how do you explain the existence of my prisoner?" Madara asked.

"Perhaps it was a dead clan," Kakimaru guessed. "And this Akari girl was its only survivor."

Madara looked at the wo(man) blankly. He didn't say anything, so Kakimaru had to continue speaking. "I'm sorry, Lord Madara. As I said in the letter I sent you, this was all I could scramble. I didn't expect you to raise your hopes."

Madara said nothing.

"You seem awfully interested in this Akari girl," Kakimaru mused, smiling. "What's with you? With your power, you could've sent someone to pick up this info. Why did you come and meet me personally like this? Sure, because I told you, but you had the choice whether or not to. And, I'm honest, I expected you not to. Why did you go through all this trouble?"

"Because I wanted to," Madara retorted. "That spy is a nuisance to me, and it's because of my meager mercy that she's still alive. I'm merely doing this until she reveals who these idiotic 'masters' are."

Kakimaru giggled. "Are you sure? Or are you just starting to have feelings for her?"

Madara inhaled sharply and slammed his hand on the table. "Don't you _dare _say I have feelings for her."

Kakimaru was facing a dangerous and intimidating Madara, but she was still nonchalant as ever. "Apologies for my brashness, Lord Madara, but I'm honest. It _can _be possible. _Every_ man has to fall in love with _someone _sooner or later."

Madara narrowed his eyes. "Not me,"

Kakimaru smirked. "Come on, Lord Madara, be a little bit realistic."

"I _am _being realistic," Madara replied calmly. "If you know me as well as I know myself, you'll know I absolutely have _no _chance at love."

A scoff came from the hooded spy. "Yeah right," Here she kept the papers into her robe and she stood up then bowed. "Well, it's getting late. I better go back to the base. I hoped the information helped you."

"It did," Madara hesitated. "Well, slightly, at the least."

Kakimaru smiled. She walked beside a seated Madara, and he looked up at her. From there, he could see the little he could of her visage. She had fair skin, framed by chin-length spiky purple hair. She wore no make-up (it was too dark in her hood to see), but Madara noticed that her eyelids were darkened by grey eye shadow. The only thing that struck him was the red Sharingan that peered through the shadows. She was a little right, though: just minor adjustments to her face would make anyone think she was a boy. To Madara's surprise, she leaned down and kissed him on the cheek, and he was startled by this.

He inhaled sharply and wiped his cheek, annoyed. "What the hell was that for?"

Kakimaru shrugged. "I just wanted to give you a feel of what it feels like to be kissed."

Madara furrowed his brow. "You should know: I hate repeating myself.'

"I know," Kakimaru replied. "But still, I won't give up my hope that you will find a lover." Here she took a step away from Madara. "If ever I find new information about your prisoner, I won't hesitate to mail to you another letter." She bowed. "A pleasure meeting you, Lord Madara."

Kakimaru made her way out of the bar. Madara finished his sake and stayed in the bar a little longer than he intended to. After around fifteen minutes after Kakimaru left, the clan leader himself left, leaving a sum of money on the table. He walked solemnly back to the base and ignored Izuna's concerned questions and simply went to his bedroom, removed his cloak, and lay on the bed. He couldn't sleep, even after countless hours of trying. His mind was too awake to let his body rest. He was too busy thinking about what Kakimaru said to him. The words constantly echoed in his mind:

"_Every man has to fall in love with someone sooner or later." _

It was a lie to him and he knew it. But why were his dreams telling him everything that he had doubted was true? Why was he being told by other people that he had feelings for Akari? Why was everything in his life pointing to that girl? He knew it was all false! It could never be true! He loathed her to no end. But he always asked himself why people, and even his own subconscious, told him that she was his flaw, his interest, his _everything. _

He constantly asked why, but he never really found an answer.

Or expected one.


End file.
